Mail-carrying device.



No. 849,551. PATENTED APR. 9, 1907. A. A. LUTTBRMAN.

MAIL CARRYING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED 1320.29. 1906.

WITNESSES I jezZZAZzzZiarmaa, Jan's/v70)? A TTURNE vs PATENT- OFFICE.

AEILT A. LUTTERMAN, OF ACKLEY, IOWA.

MAIL-CARRYING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

l-atented April 9, 1907.

Application filed December 29, 1906. Serial No. 350.036.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AEILT A. LUTTERMAN, a citizen'of the United States, residing at Ackley, in the county of Hardin and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Mail- ,(Jarrying Device, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a mail-carrying device intended for use by carriers in city and rural free-delivery service, and comprises a weather tight receptacle divided into several compartments in which the mail-matter is conveniently packed for delivery and collected during the trip.

The invention has for one of its objects to improve and simplify the construction and operation of devices of this character so as to be comparatively easy and inexpensive to manufacture, of substantial and durable construction, and adapted to enable the lettercarrier to conveniently and orderly arrange the mail-matter .to be delivered.

A further object 'of the invention is to provide a mail-carrying device comprising a receptacle divided into several compartments and having a two-part hinged cover which is spring-closed and adapted to be automatically held open when placing mail-matter or taking it out of the receptacle.

With these objects in view and others, as will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the invention comprises the various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts, which will be more fully described hereinafter, and set forth with particularity in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one of the embodiments of the invention, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the device on the line 1 1, Fig. 3. Fig. 2 isa vertical transverse section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar view on line 3 3 of 1.

Corre'spon ing parts in the several figures are indicated throughout by similar characters of reference.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the body of the receptacle or box, which is preferably made of sheet metal of suitable lightness and gage. The receptacle is open at its top, and it is provided with a cover 2, which is arched in transverse section, as shown in Fig. 3, and composed of two sections 3, eX- tendin the full length-of the receptacle.

At the meeting edges of the sections 3 are provided alternately-arranged eyes 4 through which extends a pintle-rod 5, whereby the two sections are hinged together. The ends of the pintle-rod 5 are bent dow'nwardl at 6 and are secured to the end walls 7 of t e re ceptacle.

At the center of the pintle-rod 5 is arranged a wirebail 8, having a handle 9 for enabling the device to be carried like a'gri The ends of the sections 3 of t e cover are provided with-the segmental depending portions 10, which close the space between the sections 3 and the top edges of the end walls 7.

At the ends of the cover and arranged interiorly thereof are the spiral springs 11, having their ends attached to the dependin portions 10, at about the centers thereof. hese springs keep the sections of the cover closed, as shown in Fig. 3, and permit the covers to be held open one at a time, as shown in Fig. 2, so that the-mail-matter can be placed in the box or taken therefrom without having to manually hold the cover open.

To facilitate the carryin of the device, a shoulder-strap 12 is provided, which has its ends connected with the eyes 13 on the end Walls 7 of the receptacle.

The interior of the receptacle 1 is'divided into aplurality of compartments, certain of which are intended to hold the mail-matter which is to be delivered by the letter-carrier, while another is intended to receive the letters collected during the delivery trip and to hold money-order blanks, postal cards, onvelops, and the like, which are kept in stoc by the carrier in accordance with the requirements of the service. In the present instance a transverse artition 14 is arranged adjacent one end to orm the receptacle 15 for receiving the collected mail-matter and for holding the postal stock. The space on one side of the vertical partition 14 is divided by a central longitudinal partition 16 into the two long compartments 17 for holding the mail-matter to be delivered by the carrier. The compartments 17 are each disposed under one of the cover-sections 3, so

that by opening one or the other of the 17 is a plate-like follower 18, that is freely movable in a vertical direction and supported on helical compression-spings 19, arranged adjacent the ends of the follower and I disposed between the bottom of the recompartments is gradually fed upwardly toward the top as piece after piece of the mailmatter is taken out for delivery.

To limit the upward movement ofthe follower and to facilitate the removal of the mail-matter, a roller 21 is arranged at the top of each compartment and located centrally with respect to thefollower thereof, and be tween each roller and its companion follower the mail-matter is confined in each compartment. To facilitate access to the letters in the compartments 17, the upper portion of the transverse partition 14 is provided with notches 22, which accommodate the fingers as the postman takes hold of the letters to withdraw them from under the rollers 21:. The rollers 21 are mounted on a common transverse shaft 23, supported on the side walls of the receptacle 1 and on the longitudinal partition 16, and the rollers freely rotate thereon.

On each of the cover-sections 3 is arranged an elast1c element 24, that is disposed on the inner surface of its respective cover-section,

- at about the center thereof. This member forms with the coversection a pocket for holding any special mail-mattersuch,for instance, as letters collected along the route to be delivered at some other point during the same trip. By this means the letters are conveniently accessible and can be arranged .now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, .Idesire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative and that various changes may be made when desired as are within the scope of the claims.

What is claimed is 1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a receptacle, a transverse partition adjacent one end thereof, a longitudinal partition extending from the transverse partition to the other end of the. receptacle, spring-pressed followers in the compartments on opposite sides of the longitudinal partition, a transverse shaft in the receptacle extending across the said compartments, freely-rotatable rollers on the shaft cooperating with the followers to hold mailmatter-between them, and hingedly-connected cover-sections arranged over the compartments.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a receptacle, a transverse partition having spaced notches at its top portion, a longitudinal partition disposed in a plane between the notches and extending from the transverse partition to one end of the receptacle, a follower in each compartment on opposite sides of the longitudinal partition, springs for yieldingly supporting the followers, a single shaft mounted in two opposite walls of the rece tacle and in the longitudinal partition, a 1'0 ler on the shaft at each side of the longitudinal partition an arched cover for the receptacle com osed of hingedly-connected sections, devices or holding the cover-sections closed, and means on the said sections for holding mail-matter.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a receptacle divided into com artments, an arched cover divided longitu inally into sections having depending end portions, eyes at the meeting edges of the sections, a pintle-rod extending through the eyes and having its ends bent downwardly 'over the end portions of the sections and secured to the receptacle, elastic members at the ends of the cover each connected with the depending portions of the sections thereof for holding the sections closed, and a carrying means attached to the receptacle.

4. In a device of the class described, the

combination of a receptacle divided into 5 compartments, an arched cover divided longitudinally into sections having depending end portions, eyes at the meeting edges of the sections, a pintle-rod extending through the eyes and having its ends bent downwardly over the end portions of the sections and se- IOO cured to the receptacle, elastic'members at the ends of the cover each connected with the depending portions of the sections thereof for holding the sections closed, a bail attached to the pintle-rod, and means on the inside of the cover-sections for holding mailmatter.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

AEILT A. LUTTERMAN Witnesses:

' O. BERG,

JOHN BATH. 

